Health minister expects ‘sporadic cases’ in France

The resigning health minister estimated that it is “very likely” that sporadic cases of the new MPOX variant will appear in France, and no doubt soon. Frederick Vallettoin an interview sunday tribune.

“Highest state of alert”

Faced with the rapid spread of the new, more deadly strain of the virus, known as clade 1b, the World Health Organization (WHO) activated its highest level of alert on Wednesday, with its European branch warning that Europe should expect more imported cases “in the coming days”.

The first case is Found in Sweden on Thursday One who has spent time in Africa, where the epidemic is spreading in a part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In France, the prime minister resigned Gabriel Artell The ministry announced on Friday that it was placing the health system on “highest alert” and that no cases of MPOX clade 1b, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, have been reported so far.

Frédéric explains that, following the second wave of the epidemic in 2002, France has vaccinated “around 150,000 people” over the past three years, but that “it is too early to determine the level of effectiveness of the vaccine against the new variants” Valletto.

Continue vaccination

“Today we have a strong stockpile to react appropriately. We have more in stock than we had in 2022 and we can order more quickly if necessary,” he assured. “We will continue with vaccinations,” but still only to the “most exposed public,” the minister said.

He also said authorities would “issue warnings to all those travelling to the affected areas at the time of every flight departure and arrival”.

The plan is to raise awareness among “the public most exposed to this risk” through associations and appropriate networks, but this is “an epidemic whose modes of transmission and contamination are not related to those of the coronavirus. We must therefore reassure the population from this point of view,” said Frédéric Valletoux.

Scientists say the virus is spread through sexual intercourse or closer contact between people than Covid-19.